With lots of eye candy and massive action sequences, Wanted is an adrenalized film that is sure to hold your interest from start to finish. It is the kind of action film that simply asks the viewer to turn the brain off, and keeps the pace moving so fast you don’t have time to question the whole ‘Loom of Fate’ bit.
Based on the ultra-violent 2004 comic series from Mark Millar, the film follows a loser named Wesley Gibson ((James McAvoy) on his journey from a nobody to the world’s greatest assassin.
Wesley works a loser job in a little cubical with a fat overbearing boss; has a girlfriend who yells at him none stop; and has a best-friend that spends his lunch hours nailing Wesley’s girlfriend. In addition to being broke and pretty much pathetic, Wesley also suffers from panic attacks and pops anxiety pills like they were Tic Taks.
His life is forever changed when he runs into Fox (an ultra-hot Angelina Jolie) and gets into a grocery store shoot-out with the man who killed his father – well Fox does the shooting while Wesley yells “I’m Sorry!”
Following a high-speed chase, Wesley is introduced to the members of the 'Fraternity' and told his father was the world’s greatest assassin. Sloan (Morgan Freeman) tells Wesley that he doesn’t suffer from panic attacks, but rather has the ability to control his adrenaline – which lets him be able to shoot the wings off of flies or curve bullets as they are fired from a gun.
From there, the film moves into a “hero in training” section where Wesley basically has the crap beat out of him for several scenes while he learns to use his abilities and discovers his purpose – kill the man who killed his father.
Once trained, Wesley embarks on a mission of revenge, finds out some twists, and then heads for a final huge showdown – which involves lots of head shots.
The film scraps several aspects of Millar’s original story (which focused more on costumed heroes and villains), but manages to maintain the look and feel of the original material (such as McAvoy’s narration of the story).
The film was directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch and Day Watch), and simply looks incredible on Blu-ray’s 1080p picture. Like many of the summer blockbusters this year, Wanted is a movie that seems made for the Blu-ray format, and makes full use of the sound and crystal clear picture.
While the screen version of the story scraps most of Millar’s comic plot, Wanted manages to keep the theme of the book – violence and revenge – in tact, and I think it was a wise decision to move away from some of the superhero aspects of the original story. While I loved the comic, I don’t think it would have translated to film well.
Wanted is the kind of movie that knows what it is about – violence, lots of big action sequences, and killer effects. Like 2007’s Shoot ‘Em Up, the film knows it has a somewhat dumb plot (come on a Loom of Fate spitting out binary code with instructions to kill bad guys), and makes no apology for it. Instead, it just fills the screen with over-the-top action that keeps you entertained from start to finish.
The movie has a ton of faults. The plot twist is predictable (my wife figured it out in the opening minutes of the film), the acting is decent, but not great (McAvoy gets annoying at times and there are a few too many close-ups of Jolie grinning wickedly while holding a gun); and the whole ‘Loom of Fate’ might be enough to make you want to hit the stop button before the movie really gets going.
However, Bekmambetov’s quick pace and massive stunt sequences (fans of Night Watch and Day Watch will find lots to love) give you plenty of reasons to forgive the film’s shortcomings and keep you hooked on what is happening on screen. It isn’t the best action summer blockbuster, but it is hardly the worst film that came out this year.
The Blu-ray comes packed with special features that take you inside the making of the movie; show how it went from comic to film; give you some extended scenes from the film; and features interviews that give you a greater idea of what the filmmakers where trying to accomplish with the movie.
The Blu-ray also features an alternate opening – which is a bit better than the theatrical opening, but felt a little like something out of the Assassin’s Creed video game. There is also a digital copy of the film that can be downloaded on laptops or cell phones.
The Blu-ray also comes equipped with the BD Live function – which includes My Chat where you can discuss the movie with other fans – and the U-Control exclusives. The U-Control includes Wanted: Motion Comics (which brings the comic to life on the screen), and Scene Explorer (which lets you view different angles of certain scenes).
Even though the plot is a bit out there, and some diehard fans of the comic might not like the changes, Wanted is a rollercoaster ride of a fun action film and runs at a fast pace to keep you hooked on what is happening on screen.
Wanted [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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